With improvement in performance of electronic devices (for example, smart phones), an electronic device includes various kinds of input/output units in order to provide users with various information. For example, an electronic device can receive a touch input (or a hovering input or a gesture input) from a user through a display (e.g., a touch screen with a touch panel) to display various information of the electronic device for the user. As an input unit (e.g., a touch screen) capable of receiving (e.g., directly receiving) inputs from a user through a display that displays information of the electronic device is used as an input unit of the electronic device, the user can control various information displayed through the display by directly touching the surface of the display, hovering (e.g., non-contact recognition of a location on the surface of the display) over the display, or taking a predetermined gesture on/over the display, to thereby perform various interactions (e.g., transmitting various information to other electronic devices, turning on/off the display of the electronic device, adjusting the volume of the electronic device, adjusting the brightness of the display, or controlling functions of applications).
For example, the electronic device can control (e.g., moving or copying various information to another electronic device or a scroll function of the display) various information displayed through the display, based on a user's input acquired through a touch panel (e.g., a capacitive touch panel, an electronic pen recognition touch panel, or a resistive touch panel). Also, the electronic device provides a user with a multi-touch function and a gesture recognition function so that the user can intuitively and easily control information of the electronic device. For example, the user can easily zoom in/out a picture with his/her two fingers, and turn over web pages quickly through flicker operation (e.g., grazing through the display or moving an object quickly on/over the display).
An aspect of the present disclosure is to address problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic device which is capable of acquiring location values (for example, coordinates of a touch point) of a location input to the display by one of various kinds of input means (for example, a user's body part, an electronic pen, etc.), of determining a touch area corresponding to the location values on the display, and of performing operation (for example, executing an application when an icon of the application is located at the touch area) corresponding to the touch area.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic device which is capable of controlling applications or functions based on a user's multi-touch input that is applied to a plurality of areas on the display. For example, the user may touch (for example, multi-touch) different areas on the display with a plurality of fingers. In this case, the electronic device may determine location values corresponding to the plurality of fingers, respectively, and acquire information about a plurality of touch areas (for example, a plurality of touch points) corresponding to the plurality of fingers according to the location values.
Also, the electronic device may determine changes of the plurality of touch areas (for example, the plurality of touch points) according to changes of the location values, and perform different operations according to the changes of the plurality of touch areas. For example, when a plurality of areas corresponding to touch points move away from each other, the electronic device may zoom in a map or picture displayed on the display. In contrast, when the plurality of areas corresponding to the touch points move toward each other, the electronic device may zoom out the map or picture displayed on the display.
As the size (for example, the area of the display) of the electronic device increases, a user may have difficulties in controlling the electronic device through a multi-touch input while holding the electronic device with his/her one hand. For example, the user may successively control (for example, scroll, zoom in/out, or move) information displayed through the display by multi-touching the display with two fingers of his/her one hand. In this case, the user may have difficulties in zooming in a picture to a desired size that is displayed on the display through a single touch and drag operation, due to limitation such as short distances between the fingers of one hand. Accordingly, the user needs to perform several multi-touch and drag operations in order to zoom in the picture to the desired size.
Further, a user who possesses an electronic device with a large screen display may experience difficulties in controlling the electronic device with his/her one hand. For example, a user who possesses an electronic device with a small screen display can move an object displayed on the display to another location using a thumb finger of his/her one hand while holding the electronic device with the same hand. However, a user who possesses an electronic device with a large screen display may not touch all areas of the display with his/her thumb finger. In order to move an object displayed on the electronic device from a first location (for example, an area that the thumb finger of the hand holding the electronic device can approach) to a second location (for example, an area that the thumb finger of the hand holding the electronic device cannot approach), the user needs to apply a plurality of inputs to the display until the object is positioned at the second location.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.